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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25479889">The Runaway Child</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeSuperHero/pseuds/SomeSuperHero'>SomeSuperHero</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Family Nature AU [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU-family, F/F, London, PC Khan, Running Away, Witches- Roald Dahl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 12:41:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,584</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25479889</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeSuperHero/pseuds/SomeSuperHero</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>She’d promised they would go to London, and she broke that promise.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jenny Smith &amp; Thirteenth Doctor, Thirteenth Doctor/ Yasmin Khan, Twelfth Doctor &amp; Thirteenth Doctor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Family Nature AU [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1845757</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Runaway Child</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Comments are needed, as is criticism and Kudos.</p><p>I don't know how far London is from Sheffield, just go with it.<br/>Ideas welcomed for future stories.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>  <br/><br/></p><p>   London was about three hours away from Sheffield, and Jenny had to get there as soon as possible. <em>Only because she promised, </em>Jenny thought, sitting at the train station waiting for the next train to pull up. <em>She promised they’d go to London, and she broke that promise. </em><br/>   <br/>    Jenny dug into her orange backpack and pulled out some notes she found in a book at home and a strange quarter. It was enough, more than enough to get to London..... Maybe she could take a bus to see Uncle James and Aunt Rose, too. Even then some left over.</p><p>    She was pondering the exact amount, when someone sat beside her, wearing an odd expression. She scooted over to the other side of her seat, and the funny-looking woman looked at her. <br/>  <br/>   “Alright, kid?” She asked, and Jenny ignored her stuffing her money back into the bag. “Lots of money you got there for a little girl like you...”</p><p>    Her mother had told her not to talk to strangers, and this woman seemed beyond strange. She had sunken, red eyes, like a witch in one of Jenny’s story books, and deep black hair rolling off of her shoulders in curls.</p><p>  Roald Dahl, one of her favorite writers, had one said that witches could smell you depending on how long ago you had taken a bath. If you took one recently, you smelled really bad. If you hadn’t, then you smelled good..... Jenny was in deep trouble, because Mummy had told her to take one just last night.....  </p><p>   Jenny glanced at the suspected witch in the corner of her eyes, and the woman smiled. “Don’t turn me into a mouse,” she whispered, getting off of her seat....<em><br/></em></p><p><em>   No, be brave, Jenny. Mummy would want you to be brave, even against the witches that turn schoolchildren into mice. Be brave like Mummy... </em>she told herself.  She slid back into the seat, with a slightly panicked sigh. She gripped her backpack straps. </p><p>   After a while, the witch had not spoke again, but it still scared Jenny, and eventually she moved..... and a police officer had taken her spot....</p><p>  “Hello,” the PC said, removing her hat, “Where are you off to?” Jenny looked at this woman. She was not a witch; Jenny could tell. She had a soft voice, not an evil one, and a nice smile.</p><p>   “Mummy told me not to talk to strangers.” The PC smiled. “Quite smart, your mum. Where is she?” </p><p> <br/>   Jenny mumbled something., and the other asked,”Sorry, what was that?” <br/><br/></p><p>   “At the park, I think.” The PC nodded. “The park? I love the park, mostly the swings. What’s your favorite part?” Jenny smiled, pushing her long, blonde hair out of her face. “I like the swings, too." There was a moment of silence. Then, "What is your mummy's and daddy's name?" </p><p>   Jenny thought for a second, because for a long time she had thought her name was just mum or mummy. "Doctor Jane Smith, she's a teacher. Mine is Jenny Smith. I don't have a daddy, but my granddad's is Doctor John Smith, just like my uncle. " </p><p>   The PC smiled. "Mine is Yasmin Khan, Yaz to my friends." Jenny tried it out. "Yasmin Khan. I like your name, but I want to call you Yaz."  Yaz nodded. "Okay, then. I like your name, too." </p><p>  "So, why are you here, Jenny?" Jenny's smile faded. "I'm going to London to see my friend. Her name is Mels, short for Melody. Mummy said we can go to London when she moved there, but we haven't yet, and I want to see her."</p><p>     "London? That's far, isn't? I mean, won't you miss your mummy and grandad?" Jenny looked guilty at her Twinkle Toes Sketchers. "Yeah, but look at this." She pulled up her backpack and dug around for a sec. Pulling out a small brown teddy bear, she said,"I've got Mr. Bear with me, and he'll keep me company. Wanna hold him?" She passed over the bear gently, as if she was holding s baby. "His eyes are brown, like yours." Yaz straightened out Mr. Bear's green vest, nodding. "I like it." Jenny huffed. "He is not an 'it', he is a he." Yaz looked at her and apologized. "I forgive you," Jenny said, pulling the bear back into her bag, leaving a gap open so he could breathe.  </p><p>    "Jenny!" Jenny jerked her head up to the entrance, and she was here. Mummy was here. She looked around and spotted Jenny. Jenny bit her lip, as Jane ran over. </p><p>  "Oh, my sweet little girl," Jane said, kneeling and pulling Jenny into a hug.  "Why did you run away?" Hearing her mummy say that broke her, and Jenny started crying. "I wanted to see Mels, Mum! You promised we go see last year!" Jane knelt down to her daughter. "I know, Jenny, but I couldn't afford it just yet. I've been saving for a trip, I promise." </p><p>    Jenny sniffed."But, we've got money. See?" Jenny kicked the backpack towards her, and Jane unfastened it. "Oh, Jenny. Where did you find this?" </p><p>   "On the bookcase at home." Jane sighed. "That's not my money, Jenny, that's your granddad's. We can't spend this." Jenny's lip quivered. "But, Granddad always shares his stuff, like the house and, remember? He shared his ice cream with me last week." </p><p>    "I know, but money's different. Maybe we could take a trip to London in two weeks over the autumn holiday? We'll go to Uncle James and Aunt Rose's, then we'll se Mels, but right now, we've got to return it to him, okay?" Jane said, shouldering the bag. Jenny rubbed her arm and nodded. "Are you mad at me?" Jane smiled, comfortingly. "No, Sweetie, but you scared me. Thought you were lost."</p><p>   Jenny looked up at Yaz, whom she almost forgot was there, and Jane got up. "Thank you, Officer." Jenny yanked on her mum's lilac coat. "Her name is Yaz, but only to her friends. Yasmin Khan to others" </p><p>   "Well, I'm calling you Yaz, because we're friends now," Jane smiled," I'm Jane. <em>Oh, no, </em>Jenny thought jokingly. "Are you going to date now?" She asked Jane, "Because she also likes the swings at the park!" Jane looked at Yaz, who was trying not to laugh. </p><p>   "Actually, Jenny, I was going to see if she wanted to come out with us Saturday to get ice cream, but she may not see it as a date." ------</p><p> <em>Well, okay, fine. She was going to at least ask for a phone number.---</em></p><p><em>   "</em>How about this? I have to work Saturday, but if you want to do it another day or..... Erm, go out sometime, call me." She winked at her mum. Yaz tore the sheet from the notebook, handed it to Jane, let her write her's down, and set the hat on her head. "I have to go now."--- </p><p>
  <em>  Before I embarrass myself.----</em>
</p><p> </p><p>And she turned to go. Jenny looked up at her mum. "Why did she wink?" Jane smiled, kind of weirdly, and said in a high voice. "Because, Jenny." She grabbed her daughter's hand. "Let's go."</p><p>--------later that night-----</p><p>   Jenny had her bath, even though the witches were about, tucked into bed, even though there were monsters under the bed, was told a bed time-story by the best mother ever, and sleeping by nine o'clock. The money was even returned. Now, Jane was sitting on the sofa, reading one of her dog -eared copies of her mother's book about aliens called Weeping Angles. Yaz's number still in her pocket, burning a hole into her leg.</p><p>    "Remember the time you ran away?" Her dad asked, sitting at the table, going over essays his college students wrote and drinking brandy. </p><p>    "A little bit. Where was I going?" She said, not looking up, but her eyebrows creasing. "Never said, I don't think. Maybe you told your mum." Jane smiled. "Yeah, Mum was the best." John smiled, too. "She was, wasn't she?" </p><p>   "Remember why?" She knew, just wondered if he remembered. There was a hesitant pause. "You wanted.... I don't know." </p><p>   "I wanted to go to America, because I wanted to teach them the Metric System." John snorted. "I was six, Dad, besides I was willing to learn their Customary System... And don't you dare not remember James ran away, because you made him eat a pear once!" </p><p>   John shook his head, still smiling. "How can I forget James? He is the only Scottish kid I have!" Jane set down her book. "Sounds British to me, Dad, and we do live in the North!" </p><p>   "Sure, sure." He turned serious. "If you need that money for that trip, you can use it." The smile fell from Jane's face. "No, Dad. It's already bad enough I moved back in." She grabbed her book, and John looked at her, tired.</p><p>   "I asked you to, so I can help with Jenny, you know this."<em> You asked me to move back in, because you were too lonely without Mum. Your just too Scottish to admit it. </em>He sipped on the amber liquor.</p><p>  "I know, and you're great, honestly, but I'm also way too old to be living with my dad..... I thank you for everything, really, but if you pitch in to help me keep a promise to my daughter.... And it's the only week, that I don't have any staff meetings, so it'll probably be there...." Jane got up and dug in the freezer for ice cream. "I'll figure it out. Always do."</p>
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